Wow! eBook
User-Centered Web Design
Author(s): John Cato (Author)
- Publisher: Addison-Wesley
- Publication Date: June 26, 2001
- Edition: First Edition
- Language: English
- Print length: 320 pages
- ISBN-10: 0201398605
- ISBN-13: 9780201398601
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Throughout the book, Cato offers diagrams, paradigms, and to-do lists, the first being his looping description of one's relation to the world: Awareness - Understanding - Action. His model for designing is Discover - Design - Use. Discovery includes the vision, exploration, "the 'Ah ha' moment." Design is where it is all born, and Use involves market testing and verification. These are just a few of the theoretical game plans he offers. Cato uses case studies to show how one can make user profiles contribute to the design process. It feels very similar to learning good marketing skills in business school.
The book also takes a careful look at visual techniques used on many sites today, breaking down what works and what doesn't, even proposing alternatives. For example, is the user confused over whether something is a button? Cato writes, "Make it buttony, and employ mouseovers to give confirmatory feedback," and "Go for creative ways of grabbing attention; they do not have to be large things."
You'll also learn how to push your creativity, get over your fears, and believe in yourself (good all-around life advice). There's even a section that looks at design issues for Web-enabled cell phones. This book won't wow you with its visuals, but the ideas and inspiration within may help you wow others with your Web design. --Angelynn Grant
From Library Journal
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From the Back Cover
User Centred Web Design is an original and practical guide to designing or transforming successful interactive web sites, focussing on designing for the end-user. In a concise, readable text it presents an overview of user-centred interactive website project management and design, providing practical advice and proven methodology, as well as ideas and tips for ensuring that the final design meets the needs of both client and end-user.
This book questions the usefulness and purpose behind commonly-used methods and thinking, and will encourage you to develop more creative and user-centred solutions and to embrace more effective management of web design projects.
User Centred Web Design:
* Offers clear, concise, practical wisdom on the design process
* Covers new perspectives and techniques for designing successful web sites
* Contains a wealth of tips, tricks, and techniques for creative design
* Is your personal web design workshop!
0201398605B07132001
About the Author
John Cato has 27 years experience designing software and interactive systems for clients such as Hewlett-Packard, Anderson Consulting, Microsoft, Rio Tinto plc, Westinghouse Systems, and Datastream International, specialising in usability engineering, HCI, and project management mentoring. He is a regular speaker at international conferences and runs a number of workshops and focussed training courses, as well as providing user-centred design consultancy and carrying out usability evaluations for a wide range of clients. 0201398605AB07132001
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Websites are for people; people like you and me. Some we might use every day and others we take occasional brief rambles through.
Using a website, we get to know the organization and feel their character. We decide if we want to have a relationship with them and whether we will come back.
So, think of your website as an extension of yourself. It is a reflection of you in the role you have and the context of your world. As a business, you need to convey the style of your corporate culture, and visions for the future of the company, its customers, staff and suppliers. The whole message is on your website; you and your website are not separate things.
Whatever you do, it will create an effect on the person who enters it and interacts with it. As Thoreau said "it is the mark of the special man to raise the quality of the day." As designers, we might try to do this when we create a website.
When you think of a website, you might think of many different things, including information, e-commerce and shopping, or enjoyment and advertising.
There are two main aspects of use. What use is it to the visitor (the user)? What use is it to you as an organization?
visitors' purpose to purchase (air tickets, books, toys, CDs) to look at (leisure, reflection, visual entertainment) to live in (regular daily business, transactional) to communicate (group space) to visit occasionally (examining bank balances, stock prices) to explore (information, education)
organization purpose selling (e-commerce) obtain involvement reduce daily overhead costs relationship, marketing, communication provide more cost-effective financial services sell information
Although the needs of the user and the organization are connected, each has a different point of view. Each point of view must be honored and satisfied. It must be a mutually satisfying relationship.
Some sites have changed since writing this book but the lessons from these sites still apply.
I encourage you to treat this book as a personal workshop. This gives you an opportunity to do design and explore how to meet the needs of the user and the organization. By taking small components, and working with them, you can experience design in a microcosm. 0201398605P07172001
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Websites are for people; people like you and me. Some we might use every day and others we take occasional brief rambles through.
Using a website, we get to know the organization and feel their character. We decide if we want to have a relationship with them and whether we will come back.
So, think of your website as an extension of yourself. It is a reflection of you in the role you have and the context of your world. As a business, you need to convey the style of your corporate culture, and visions for the future of the company, its customers, staff and suppliers. The whole message is on your website; you and your website are not separate things.
Whatever you do, it will create an effect on the person who enters it and interacts with it. As Thoreau said "it is the mark of the special man to raise the quality of the day." As designers, we might try to do this when we create a website.
When you think of a website, you might think of many different things, including information, e-commerce and shopping, or enjoyment and advertising.
There are two main aspects of use.
- What use is it to the visitor (the user)?
- What use is it to you as an organization?
visitors' purpose
- to purchase (air tickets, books, toys, CDs)
- to look at (leisure, reflection, visual entertainment)
- to live in (regular daily business, transactional)
- to communicate (group space)
- to visit occasionally (examining bank balances, stock prices)
- to explore (information, education)
organization purpose
- selling (e-commerce)
- obtain involvement
- reduce daily overhead costs
- relationship, marketing, communication
- provide more cost-effective financial services
- sell information
Although the needs of the user and the organization are connected, each has a different point of view. Each point of view must be honored and satisfied. It must be a mutually satisfying relationship.
Some sites have changed since writing this book but the lessons from these sites still apply.
I encourage you to treat this book as a personal workshop. This gives you an opportunity to do design and explore how to meet the needs of the user and the organization. By taking small components, and working with them, you can experience design in a microcosm.
0201398605P07172001
